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1. You have your pick of beaches—and beach activities. You can spike a volleyball at Foster Beach, attend an impromptu dance party at Kathy Osterman Beach (aka Hollywood Beach), build a sandcastle with youngsters at Thorndale Avenue Beach, or crack open a book while perched on a rock at Berger Park Beach.Photo courtesy of Edward Stojakovic, Flickr2. You might learn a new language.
Thanks to a continual influx of immigrants from countries including Sweden, Ethiopia, Bosnia, and Mexico, Edgewater’s streets reverberate with a multitude of languages and dialects.3. You can brush up on your history.There are nine neighborhood buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Edgewater Beach Apartments. It’s the sole remnant of the famous Edgewater Beach Hotel complex, which in its day famously hosted American presidents and Hollywood movie stars.Edgewater Beach Apartments. Photo courtesy of JohnPickenPhoto, Flickr4. You can explore the Lakefront Trail. Depending on your point of origin, the vehicle-free path begins or ends in Edgewater at Sheridan Road and Ardmore Avenue. Hop on your bike, lace up your running shoes, or grab your skateboard and zip along the paved path past Lake Michigan and sprawling greenery.5. There are neighborhoods within the neighborhood. Did you know that the bustlingly independent Andersonville is actually a sub-neighborhood of Edgewater? The same goes for the historic Lakewood-Balmoral corridor, the tree-lined Edgewater Glen, and the Lake Michigan–adjacent Edgewater Beach.6. You can make a new four-legged friend.With a dog beach carved out just north of Foster Beach and plenty of pet-friendly housing, the neighborhood boasts a large population of canine residents.Photo courtesy of Steve Stearns, Flickr7. It’s easy to get there. Bryn Mawr Station. Photo courtesy of Thomas Anderson, FlickrThe Red Line hosts four stops (Berwyn, Bryn Mawr, Thorndale, and Granville), the Broadway bus snakes along the diagonal corridor, the Clark Street bus weaves through Andersonville, and several buses along Sheridan deliver residents north to Rogers Park, south past downtown, and lots of places in between.8. It’s packed with great local businesses.Along its corridors, you can find a charming mix of shops: everything from boutiques and fitness centers to cafés and eateries. To see some of our favorites, check out Groupon’s exclusive collection of deals from Edgewater businesses.

Earlier this season, we previewed some of the summer’s most stylish movies. We then (inevitably) started waxing nostalgic about our favorite films from summers past—those VHS’s we watched until the magnetic tape wore thin, and the lines we repeated until they became colloquialisms. (“Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” and “Hold on to your butts.”)
Why wouldn’t we want to honor those movies, too? Here, we’ve selected the most stylish characters from six of our all-time favorite summer films, and curated outfits that remind us of their costumes.
American Graffiti (1973)
Fitted bodice dress, Alice and Olivia ($440); Jitney sandal in black, Marais ($147); Openwork cardigan, Mango ($27.99 on sale)
Best-dressed character: Debbie
Why we love the look: Vintage-inspired dresses with that fit-and-flare shape have had a renaissance of late, thanks to TV shows such as Mad Men and Masters of Sex.
Where to wear it: An alfresco dinner. The cardigan’s open weave makes it the perfect sweater for a cool summer night.
Read more about what to wear on patios and how to style summer sweaters.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Crepe halter top, Tibi ($138.60 on sale); High-waisted shorts, River Island ($60); Champion originals, Keds ($45); Hand-cut leather belt, Wolf & Badger ($99)
Best-dressed character: Frances “Baby” Houseman
Why we love the look: Jean shorts, Keds, a basic tank…think breezy summer fashion at its finest.
Where to wear it: A street fest. If Baby’s moves are any indication, it’ll help you shimmy through the crowds with ease.
The Sandlot (1993)
Ruched halter swimsuit, J. Crew ($98); Jungle Red lipstick, NARS ($26); Cat-eye sunglasses, CRAP Eyewear ($56)
Best-dressed character: Even though our 10-year-old selves are still crushing hard on Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, we have to give this one to Wendy Peffercorn.
Why we love the look: This ruched one-piece is flattering for most any body type, and it’s hard not to look fierce while peeking over the tops of these cat-eye shades.
Where to wear it: Pool party! Beach party! Anywhere with a large enough body of water!
Check out other examples of pop-culture-inspired swimwear.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Blouse with cropped sleeve, Zara ($19.99 on sale); Tailored skinny jeans, paper denim & cloth ($152 on sale); Beckett sunglasses, Warby Parker ($95); Harper moto boot, rag & bone ($575); Arrowhead ring, Pamela Love ($625)
Best-dressed character: Dr. Ian Malcolm
Why we love the look: Don’t get us wrong, summer’s vivid color palette is fun, but this all-black ensemble is a refreshing break from the neon norm. Plus, Goldblum.
Where to wear it: This would be too hot for an outdoor music festival, but perfect for a late-night show at a corner bar.
Find more summer concert style ideas.
Now and Then (1995)
Cutout chambray dress, Intermix ($495); Architecture Outing bag, ModCloth ($89.99); T-strap flats, Francesca’s ($28); Glam lipstick in Lotus, NYX ($6)
Best-dressed character: Teeny, obviously. She grew up to be a movie star!
Why we love the look: The cutouts on this dress are perfectly flirty, and the dusty-pink bag reminds us of the foursome’s amazing treehouse.
Where to wear it: No treehouse? Then post up beneath some trees for a picnic in the park.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Clifton ringer tee, Spreadshirt ($31.10); Track shorts, Madewell ($49.50); Slip-on sneakers, Bucketfeet ($65)
Best-dressed character: ‘70s chic abounds in this cult favorite, but we’ll go with McKinley for his classic summer-camp style.
Why we love the look: It’s colorful, comfy, and nostalgic all at once.
Where to wear it: If summer camp’s not in the cards, then organize a WHAS viewing party in your backyard.
Also, see our tips for styling your home like a summer camp.

Poets have long cornered the market on love letters, but mathematicians might have a new advantage when it comes to romantic gift giving.
At her new Andersonville boutique, Winifred Grace (5642 N. Clark Street), jewelry designer Winifred Gundeck specializes in creating simple bronze pendants stamped with letters, symbols, and—frequently—numbers with sentimental value.
What is a sentimental code, exactly? For one customer, it was the geographic coordinates of the Ferris wheel where he proposed to his wife. For another, it was the house number of her mom’s childhood home. Still others opt for momentous dates, often stamped with no punctuation as six-digit strings of numbers.
“You can get really personal,” Winifred said. Yet her cool, simple designs, with their “modern-looking” sans-serif typeface, acknowledge the fact that not everyone wants to wear something as sappy as, say, a necklace with the word “love” on it.
“I want pieces of jewelry that represent my son and how important he is to me,” she said of her own bronze pendant, which features a capital “A” in honor of her son, Alexander. “I want pieces that I can wear every day, and when I put [them] on, I don’t even have to think about them.”
As such, her boutique is full of versatile, everyday accessories like that one—five of which she shared with us below. (To see more of Winifred’s custom work, check out her Instagram, where she posts prolifically.)
1. Custom-stamped pendants ($150 large; $135 small)
The bigger one is stamped with the coordinates of Chicago, the smaller one with initials. Winifred said they look good whether they’re a little tarnished or freshly polished—and each one comes with a free polishing cloth.
The stamping process takes 10–15 minutes, which means they can be made while you wait. Price-wise, the smallest pendant costs $90 (unstamped). For stamping, there’s an additional setup fee and a charge of $3 per letter.
2. Aries constellation bracelet ($143)
Winifred offers bronze bangles punched with all 12 astrological signs’ constellations. The Aries one is her favorite “because it’s very minimal.”
3. Horse-bit chain bracelet ($290)
This chunky, toggle-clasp bracelet is “inspired by vintage Cartier,” as well as the real gold Gucci bracelets Winifred inherited from her mom. “I just loved them,” she said. “They made me feel like a disco queen.”
This particular bracelet is also inspired by a horse bit—a shape that’s ubiquitous even outside the farm. “Gucci, their signature buckle on their shoes—it’s a horse bit.”
4. 60-millimeter round pendant ($170)
Anthropologie has stocked this necklace, which Winifred said “is nice because you tie [the leather] off at any length.” She also likes the way she put the pendants’ tiny jump rings to use: they hold the leather cord rather than dangling decoratively.
5. Bar ring ($127)
This is “supercomfortable to wear,” Winifred said. “Your fingers just nestle in around the shape of the ring. It has two places cut out for your [adjacent] fingers.” She also stocks it in multiple sizes and can custom-make sizes she doesn’t have in two to three weeks.
Photos: Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon

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